Pencil sharpeners



Allg 2, 1955 G. E. WIMMER 2,714,369

l PENCIL SHARPENERS Filed Jan. 17, 1952 26 @wm-wwwa- United States Patent O PENCIL SHARPENERS Glen E. Wimmer, Chicago, lll.

Application January 17, 1952, Serial No. 266,927

1 Claim. (Cl. 1Z0- 96) My invention relates to an improvement in pencil sharpening devices. One purpose is to provide an improved cutter for pencil Sharpeners.

Another purpose is to provide an improved cutter assembly for pencil Sharpeners.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of the specication and claims.

The present application is a` continuation-impart of my prior Patent No. 2,591,756, for Pencil Sharpener, iiled in the United States Patent Oilce on January 26, 1948, and issued April 8, 1952.

I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatieally in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is an end elevation;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of one of the cutters;

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4--4 of Figure` 3;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a side elevation of another form of cutter;

Figure 7 is a section, on an enlarged scale, of another form of cutter; and

Figure 8 is a side elevation, with parts` broken away and parts in section, of another form of cutter.

Like parts are indicated by` like symbols throughout the specication and drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 generally indicates any suitable base which may be mounted on or secured to any suitable support, such as the top of a table or desk. It may advantageously be made of a stamping of sheet metal. Upwardly extending from it I illustrate apedestal 2, shown` as formed of sheet metal, and having an integral upper expansion or hub, generally indicated as 3, and having a circumferential iiange 4 with circumferentially spaced notches or gaps 5. Mounted to be secured to the hub 3 I illustrate a housing shown as formed of two parts, 6 and 7, secured to each other as by opposed flanges 8. In general alignment with the center of the hub 3, the part 7 is shown as having a tubular inward extension 9 which serves as a centering member or support for the below described cutter holding rotor. The member 3 is provided with prongs 10 for interiitting with the notches in the shell member 6, whereby the composite housing member formed of the parts 6 and 7 can be applied to and locked in relation to the oifset hub 3. The hub 3, and its flattened part 4, receive an internal gear plate or ring 12.

The rotor for rotating the below described cutters includes a pin or shaft 14 having an enlargement 15 and a reduced handle-receiving end portion 16. The portion 14 is surrounded by a bearing sleeve 17 secured to the hub portion 3 with a press it, as at 18. The handle 19 serves to rotate the shaft 14 within the bearing sleeve 17 and thus to rotate the yoke portion shown as including two pieces of metal or suitable material 20, 21 positioned back to back, and having outwardly extending end lugs 22 at one end and 23 at the other.

The parts and 21 can be riveted together, or otherarated by relatively thin washers 90.

conform in diameter to the bodies of the disks 36a and 2,714,369 Patented Aug. 2, 1955 ICC Wiese suitably secured. Each pair of lugs 22, 23 is apertured, as at 26, to receive the ends of bearing pins 27 which may be suitably headed, as at 28.

Mounted for rotation on the bearing pins 27 are cutters, each of which includes a hollow sleeve or tube 3S. Mounted on each such tube are a plurality of disks 36 which may be stamped or otherwise formed, for example, from sheet metal. Each such disk has appropriate teeth 37. A separate disk or member 38 may be employed at one end, having gear teeth 39. It is preferably spaced from the sequence of cutter disks by an intermediate spacer 40 of somewhat smaller diameter. The tube 35 may be headed at each end, as at 41, 42. The disks may be arranged on the tube 35 with` the teeth 37 arranged in any suitable pattern. It may, for example, be advantageous to spiral them, as shown in Figure 3. The disk 36 may be locked in position, by press-fitting or otherwise. It will be understood` that a variety of manufacturing methods may be employed. For example, the hollow tube 35 may be initially headed or oiset at one end, as at 41. The disks 36, the spacer 40, and the pinion disk 38 may be aligned` on the tube 35, and, thereafter,

the tube may be headed as at 42; or the tube may be:

outwardly expanded by any suitable tool, in order to insure a press-tit when the parts are properly arranged. It will be understood that any other suitable aligning and positioning means, not herein shown, may be employed.

When the parts are assembled, the pinion teeth 39 mesh with the internal teeth of the gear ring 12. Thus the result of a rotation of the crank 19 is to move the rollers about the end of a pencil inserted through the sleeve 9. At the same time, there is a positive rotation of the two cutters, whereby the pencil is sharpened.

With reference to the form of Figure 7, I illustrate a variant arrangement of cutter teeth. The tube 35 is employed, and headed at each end, as at. 41 and 42, but the individual cutter disks have teeth 51 with oppos'itely extending cutting edges 52. Thus a reversible cutter is provided. It will be understood` that the teeth may be spiraled, as shown in Figure 3', or otherwisev arranged. In Figure 6, I illustrate them as out of spiral arrangement.

Referring to the specific showing of Figure 8, I illustrate the individual disks or cutter members 36a as sep- These washers the composite structure is, in eiect, a cylinder from which` the teeth outwardly extend. I nd that the provision of the spaces, between adjacent teeth, which are provided by the washers prevents clogging of the teeth and promotes more eicient operation. As will be clear from Figure 2, it is advantageous, in assembling two associated cutters, to have the teeth of the opposite cutters staggered in relation to each other, so that no part of the surface of the pencil inserted between the cutters will remain uncut.

It will be realized that, whereas I have described and illustrated a practical and operative device, nevertheless many changes may be made in the size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention. I therefore wish my description and drawings to be taken as in a broad sense illustrative o1' diagrammatic, rather than as limiting me to my precise showing. For example, whereas, in Figure 2, I illustrate the use of an extra washer to oiset the cutting members of one roller in relation to the other, it will be understood, naturally, that any other suitable means for obtaining such an offset or staggered relation may be employed, whether it relates to shaping the individual rollers or to modifying the shape or angle of the members 22 and 23 at one side of the yoke or frame in which the rollers rotate. It will be understood, also, that whereas I illustrate the member 35 as hol1ow,.it may equally well be solid with a bearing on the end. With reference to Figure 2, the bearing pins 27 may, in that event, be unitary with the member 35. It will be understood, of course, that otsetting 41, 42 is a matter of election and any suitable means for securing the individual disks on the tube or rod may be employed. Y

Whereas I illustrate spacing members in the form of Washers, it will be understood that any suitable spacing means may be employed, including projections on the members themselves. It will be understood that whereas I have Villustrated a metal assembly, I may, if desired, position metallic parts, such as the disks themselves, and form them into a unit by the pouring or application or injection of a plastic which may constitute a supporting core and also constitute spacing parts. Likewise, when using metal or other suitable substances I may employ a die casting procedure.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

The cutters herein shown are simply and easily assembled from parts which may be easily, efficiently and economically manufactured. Referring to the showing of Figure 4, for example, all that is involved is a series of disk-like members having serrated edges which are connected by a hollow tube running through aligned apertures in the disk. Offsetting the ends of the tubes locks the entire assembly together.

The form of Figure 8 illustrates an improved cutter head or roll in which spacing washers 90 separate the individual teeth. The diameters of the washers may be the same as the minimum diameter of the disks which carry the teeth. Or, as shown in Figure 8, they may be of slightly less diameter. In either event, the spaces between the teeth are highly advantageous in preventing clogging or packing of the separated wood material from the sharpened pencils.

As shown in Figure 2, when spacers or washers of the type shown in Figure 8 are employed, it is important to stagger them on the two rolls, or otset the two cutters, so that, as the pencil is inserted into the space between the two rolls, every part of the surface of the pencil will be cut. It will be understood that the same result may be obtained by offsetting the two rolls or cutters as they rotate in their supporting frame.

I claim:

In a pencil Sharpener assembly, a base, a generally upright frame with a housing on it, a pair of cutting members mounted for rotation as a unit within `the housing, each of the cutting members being mounted for individual rotation, the cutting members being disposed at acute angle with respect to each other and defining a conical cutting station between them, the axis of the conical cutting station being generally at right angles to the frame, the cutting members being symmetrically disposed on opposite sides of the axis of the cutting station, the axis of the cutting members intersecting at a point remote to the cutting station, each of the cutting members being composed of and including a plurality of generally flat perforated cutting disks, a central supporting core rotatably supporting the cutting disks in aligned relation, a plurality of cutting teeth spaced peripherally around each of the cutting disks, separate spacing washers between adjacentv cutting disks on the core, the washers having a smaller outside diameter than the outside diameter of the cutting disks so as to provide annular clearance space between adjacent cutting disks to provide for chip clearance, each clearance space having generally the same axial dimension as the cutting disks, the spacing washers on each cutting member where projected laterally, being aligned generally with the cutting disks, when projected laterally, on the other cutting member so that the cutting disks on one cutting member will engage disconnected spaced truncated areas of the cutting station which are opposed to the annular clearance spaces on the other cutting member to effect a staggered disposition of the cutting disks on one cutting member relative to the other, the disconnected spaced truncated areas of the cutting station engaged by the cutting disks of one cutting member alternating with the disconnected spaced truncated areas of the cutting station engaged by the cutting disks on the other, the combination of all of the cutting disks on both cutting members being etective to engage the entire conical periphery of the cutting station, the spacing Washers being separate elements from the cutting disks, and means for rotating the cutting members so as to generate a conical path about the cutting station.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 7,143 Coogan May 30,V 1876 225,292 Martin Mar. 9, 1880 424,366. Smith Mar. 25, 1890 1,243,447 Roberts Oct. 16, 1917 2,338,263 Schaefer Ian. 4, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 17,630 Great Britain Aug. 31, 1899 49,918 Switzerland Oct. 23, 1909 

